The use of various downhole tools in the drilling and evaluation of subterranean oil and gas wells is well known and conventional in the art. Many such tools are run into open and/or cased boreholes using conventional slick line and/or wireline arrangements. For example, a conventional mechanical calliper (or gauge) tool is often lowered into and pulled out of the borehole using a steel cable (slick line). Conventional wireline logging tools, on the other hand, are typically run into the borehole using a wireline that includes both power and electronic data lines coupled, for example, to an uphole power source and computer network. In typical drilling and/or borehole evaluation applications, slick line and wireline tools are often utilized sequentially. For example, it is not uncommon, to utilize a slick line tool (such as a calliper tool) to first measure borehole gauge and then to utilize one or more wireline logging tools to log a portion of the borehole.
It will be appreciated that the term “wireline” is sometimes used in the art to refer to both conventional slick line and electric wireline (which is also referred to as e-line). As used herein, the term “slick line” refers to conventional cabling (e.g., a conventional steel wire or cable) that does not include electric lines (neither power nor electronic data lines). Slick line tends to be more robust and less expensive than electric wireline and is therefore often used in applications that do not require electrical or electronic communication with the surface. The term “wireline” is used herein to refer to electric wireline (e-line). A conventional wireline includes a plurality of electrical conductors (e.g., power and data lines) located, for example, at the core of a wound or braided steel cable. Wireline is more expensive than slick line and is therefore typically only used with downhole tools that require electric power and/or electronic communication with the surface.
It is common oilfield practice to mount the slick line or wireline tool assemblies and pressure control equipment directly to the wellhead (e.g., to a blow-out-preventor at the rig floor), thereby enabling the downhole tools to be lowered directly into the borehole. For example, in exemplary slick line tool applications, a slick line tool assembly (e.g., including a stuffing box) is coupled to the upper end of a pressure control string, which is coupled to the blow out preventor at the rig floor. In exemplary wireline tool applications, a wireline tool assembly (e.g., including a grease injection head and/or a packoff box) is coupled to the upper end of the pressure control string. When changing from a slick line tool to a wireline tool (or from a wireline tool to a slick line tool), the pressure control string is typically disconnected from the blow out preventor, positioned horizontally on the rig floor, and the slick line tool assembly replaced with a wireline tool assembly (or visa versa). The pressure control string, including the wireline tool assembly, is then lifted into position above the blow out preventor and reconnected thereto. It is not uncommon for this procedure to require several hours of rig time. Such rig time is expensive, especially in deep-water, offshore operations, in which the cost of the rig may sometimes exceed $10,000 per hour.
Therefore there exists a need for an apparatus that reduces the time required to assemble and disassemble slick line and wireline tooling configurations. In particular, an apparatus that permits alternate use of slick line and wireline tools without the necessity of intervening assembly and disassembly procedures would be particularly advantageous.